


Freedom of a Different Kind

by deciBelx



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Backstory, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Family Reunion, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Headcanoned card hierarchy, I think I'm funny, I'll add necessary warnings as the story progresses, Jevil is not good at customer service, Jevil tries to be a good parent, Lancer's coronation, Lesser Dad is Greater Dad, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon Fix-It, Trials, attempted comedy, basically imma try and keep it funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-10-31 13:46:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17850638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deciBelx/pseuds/deciBelx
Summary: Jevil was free, but that didn't make it any less lonely. So after the Lightners played his numbers game, he snuck out of his little freedom and came back inside to find another kind that he'd missed.OrJevil gets reunited with Seam because goddammit these two deserve better and there's also a fankid added to the mix for good measure and also because why not. Shenanigans ensue





	1. Act I Part I

**Prologue**

 

Seam finally allowed himself to rest when he reached the Field of Hopes and Dreams. He found himself sinking under the scarlet leaves before breaking into a small fit of choked sobs, just enough so that his cotton wasn’t weighed down with sorrow, but not enough to wake the precious bundle in his arms. Removing a quivering hand from the sleeping doll, he allowed it to hover where his right eye once was. Seam didn’t even bother to seal the wound, he just grabbed a scrap piece of gauze and his cloak and got the hell out of the castle with Teuila. Cotton had seeped out a bit from the tear, he’d have to stitch it up later… For now, though, Seam just reclined under the trees, processing what had transpired with an enchanted doll in his arms. Speak of the little devil, he thought fondly as a small yawn came from the blankets, those round, glassy eyes of hers were wide open and attempted to process every detail of this foreign land. Seam adjusted her a bit so that she could get a better view of the purple meadow, and she cooed in wonder at this brave new world, ears perked and her tail swishing from side to side. Despite everything around them descending into madness and chaos, Seam couldn’t help but smile a bit.

 

* * *

 

 

**Act I Scene I: The Dungeon, Card Castle**

 

Jevil cracked an eye open when he heard the Lightners leave his floor. He was tired, but clever! Those Lightners thought he was asleep but no! Now he was allowed back inside if he wished. Slowly, the jester rose from the cold, cold floor and hesitantly crossed through the door. After testing the boundaries, he finally found himself inside once more. When he realised that there was no magic that stopped him from doing so, Jevil started to cackle manically before gleefully bounding up the stairs and into the elevator. He gave a short farewell to his little freedom as it arrived, but he knew that it would always be there waiting for him, and that was why he had to come back inside as soon as he could.

 

The elevator arrived at its stop with a soft ding, and Jevil realised that in his glee, he’d pressed the wrong button. But he could hear the faint cries of some awfully familiar voices...

“Oh woe! My jewels! My beloved treasures!”

“Hush Julius, some of us are trying to sleep here!”

“But my darling jewels!”

“Julius, you’ll get your treasures back eventually. Besides, how are more concerned about that rather than your own family?!”

“My family are ALSO treasures dimwit!”

By this stage, the Hearts King tried to intervene with his soothing voice, but the squabbling only seemed to escalate further. That is until they saw the jester in front of their cage which caused them to either gasp or scream, a particularly high pitched one coming from the King of Diamonds.

“OH LIGHT! What are YOU, no wait,” the Diamond King tapped on his chin for a moment before resuming, “HOW are you HERE?!”

Jevil just laughed,

“OH BOO HOO, DID THE BORING KINGS GET SEALED TOO, TOO?!”

 

“Oh, shush Jevil!”“It was all Rex’s fault,” growled the various heads of the Club King, the King of Hearts gave a whine of affirmation, “He and that damned knight...”“They locked us down here because we were apparently unworthy of said knight.”

The King of Diamonds’ eyes suddenly glinted in realisation,

“Wait, Jevil! Maybe you can free us!”

“REALLY?” He mused, “AND WHY SHOULD I?”

“Well,” another one the Club King’s heads piped up, “What was it you used to say again? ‘I can do anything’?”

Jevil’s eyes dimmed a bit as he thought on that statement but still grinned from ear to ear.

“WELL OF COURSE, COURSE! BUT THAT’LL COME WITH A PRICE...”

“Name it! We’ll reward you with treasures beyond your imagination, we’ll even pardon you for your crimes!” The Diamond King rattled the bars with both pairs of arms for further emphasis, “Just let us out of here!”

“Tell me where Seam and Teuila went.” The sudden change in tone and volume surprised the kings, “He said they were going to leave, leave Card Castle, but never said where.”

The King of Hearts gave a coo of sadness and whispered something through the bars.

Jevil’s eyes widened,

“The field? Are, are you sure?”

“Seam had sent us a letter formally regarding his resignation from the Field,” replied the King of Diamonds, “It’s in the archives upstairs.”

“That’s on the other side of the kingdom...” Jevil thought aloud.

“He left in quite a hurry, I suspect he just wanted to leave this all far, far behind,” the centre head of the King of Clubs sighed.

Jevil simply nodded,

“Thank you,” he then realized he’d been slouching, not good if you’re performing! So, with that grin back on his face he then announced, “IN ORDER TO SHOW MY GRATITUDE, THEN I WILL LET YOU INSIDE TOO!” and proceeded to pick the lock with the tip of his tail. The heavy piece of metal came apart with an audible click and once it was removed, Jevil swung the cage door wide open, giving a small bow and offering a hand to assist the kings in their descent. Of course, there was no need as they were too distracted by their apparent ‘freedom’, so he rushed to the elevator before any of the other kings could. “BYE BYE! WELL IT WAS NICE CATCHING UP WITH YOU ALL! I HAVE A MAGE I NEED TO FIND!” he screamed before the elevator door closed just as the kings had arrived. Not wanting to make the same mistake, he pressed the button to the first floor. He knew what he had to do now, and nobody would be able to stop him!

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

It was another quiet day in the field and since school wasn’t on Teuila got to wander around. She’d decided to go harvest some Dark Candies for the Seap as they were running low on stock and it gave Teuila an excuse to climb in the trees and go outside. She was resting on a branch, a half-eaten candy in hand, when she noticed a stout figure rapidly approaching. Teuila had to admit it was actually rather amusing watching the extremely puffed figure approach the tree.

The figure, some sort of imp like her perhaps? Looked up the tree before asking,

“EXCUSE ME, I’M LOOKING FOR THE OLD SHOPKEEPER, DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE MAY BE?”

Teuila found it odd, everyone so far ‘seamed’ (Haha nice one Tea, she thought to herself) to know the location of the Seap. But still, her father had taught her to be friendly to any potential customers, so she pointed to the direction she had come from and added, “The Seap’s over there, looks like a tent that got stitched together, can’t miss it!”

“OH THANK, THANK YOU! I- KA!” As it turned out, Jevil REALLY needed to improve his stamina after sleeping in his little freedom for so long and was out of breath enough that he started coughing hard enough to fall to the ground.

“Sir are you alright?” Teuila leaned over the branch to try and check on the stranger.

“I AM NOW- KA! NOW!” Jevil tried to get up and supported himself with the tree trunk, “I JUST RAN, RAN ALL THE WAY FROM CARD CASTLE.’

“… You ran?”

“WELL HOW ELSE COULD I GET HERE?!” Jevil looked up in frustration, the person he was talking to was obscured by some leaves, but he couldn’t help but feel some sort of familiarity.

A rather puzzled Teuila proceeded to point at a nearby Warp Door,

“You do realise those function like teleporters, right?”

Jevil merely gawked at the technicolour flames that danced under the door. He ran through the forest, the Great Board, all the way here only to find that he could’ve saved so much time and effort and now he was upset. That frustration translated into a very loud,

“@$*&!” Which got cut off when he realised the figure in the tree had jumped down and was on the ground, face to face with him. Jevil found his eyes staring into a pair of black beads. The mystery person looked like she could’ve been one of his own kind had it not been for the fur growing on her shorter ears, causing them to blend in with her more mauve hair. In fact she had the same periwinkle skin that he did. It may have been many, many years, but he recognised her in a heartbeat.

“Teuila?”


	2. Act I Part II

**Act I Scene II: The Field of Hopes and Dreams (cont.)**

 

“Teuila?”

To say Teuila was confused was an understatement. Of course, she had the ability to *CHECK who the stranger was, but she was curious to see how this all played out. Predictability got boring for her after using her ability multiple times.

“I’m sorry but do I know you?” She asked with a small tilt of her head. The stranger appeared crestfallen at that,

“You don’t... know me?” He asked with a shaky voice, “I-I’m your dad, dad!” He fumbled his hands around for a minute before summoning a small carousel horse, “These were your favourite! When you were a little baby you’d ride them and go up and down. Seam would be so scared that his stitches snapped!” He chuckled nervously before the white horse dissipated with a swipe of his hand, “You really don’t know me?”

Teuila may have enjoyed the unpredictable, but this made her furrow her brow in confusion. She drew a few comparisons between them but that was only in physical appearance. Reluctantly, she decided to use her “gift” as her father called it. Taking in a deep breath, Teuila *CHECKed the stranger. His name was Jevil, the former court jester. Digging in a bit further, Teuila relayed some of his memories: Jevil and her father performing elaborate tricks and acrobatics, the two of them regarding her as a doll before being enchanted, Jevil and her father engaged in vicious combat. She stopped there, taking in shaky breaths as she processed this foreign information. Not once did she think about trying to figure out more about life before the Seap, in her eyes, she was content with living life as it had been as she’d remembered. Teuila had often pretended that she didn’t have her little gift, life got too boring when it was too predictable, but this wasn’t what she had meant. There was no denying that this man was also her father, the evidence was there, clear as light. Teuila just couldn’t bring herself to accept that this stranger who’d appeared out of nowhere was the parent she’d been missing.

“Look,” she sighed while rubbing her temples, “Let’s head back to the Seap and talk more there, you said you wanted to find Seam, right?” Jevil nodded in response. “Alright, let’s go then.”

“But will he want to see me, me?” He asked, his ears drooping a bit. Teuila merely closed her eyes for a few seconds before responding,

“You’ll be fine, trust me.” She waved a hand and started walking to the Seap while her other father floated close behind.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Act I Scene III: Seam’s Shop**

Seam hummed a little ditty as he swept the floor in front of the counter. Time was painfully slow when he didn’t want it to be and cleaning helped pass it. Not only that, but it gave the illusion that his life wasn’t as much of a mess. After sorting the items on the shelf for the nth time, he checked the lantern in his hand and hooked it back on the roof of the tent. With a sigh, Seam heaved himself back behind the counter and grabbed some water to refill his teapot. His stuffing had clumped over time, making movement more and more difficult, but he couldn’t care less. The world was ending after all, that was inevitable. It didn’t make much sense to try and fight it, so he let age ravage him more than it should have; his fabric had faded and wrinkled, his stitches became looser and looser and the world became darker yet darker. The only time he’d bother repairing himself was when Teuila got too concerned. That child was something else, she could see what others couldn’t and yet she often refused to, so Seam respected her wishes and allowed them both to live in this illusion. His ears pricked up when he heard some chattering coming from outside. His button eye spun slowly as he tried to decipher the conversation. Teuila was back and...

“Dad,” Teuila poked her head through the flaps, “There’s someone that wants to see you.”

“Really, little old me?” He wheezed out a chuckle, “That’s lovely... why don’t you let them in?”

There was little that could prepare him for what was to come, that being his former companion’s return.

“Hi Seam...” the jester gave an uneasy smile and a small wave.

The subsequent shock caused him to drop the full teapot that was in his hands.

 

_Seam cringed as a loud crash came from the throne room. Of course, he couldn’t bring himself to look inside as he was already anxious enough about his audition results. The Kings were looking for two Jokers, and Seam had made it into the finals that were held not too long ago. Taking a deep breath, Seam took a moment to try and empty his cluttered mind and block out the chatter that came from his fellow auditionees and those in the throne room. That is until he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder._

_“HI! I DON’T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER ME, BUT WE’VE MET BEFORE!” Another one of the auditionees has approached him with a huge grin on his face and a hand extended, “I’M JEVIL BY THE WAY!” Seam’s eyes widened when he started to recognise him. He hadn’t paid much attention to the others because of his obsession with making his performance perfect,_

_“Seam,” he replied whilst returning the gesture with a smile, “We met as children in the Scarlet Forest once, right?”_

_“NU-HA! YES! YES!” The impish Darkner cackled, “SUCH A SMALL WORLD, ISN’T IT?”_

_Before Seam could respond, a man about their age stepped out the throne room. More specifically, a Kaard. He was obviously nervous but seemed to try and shake it off before loudly proclaiming, “Greetings all! The Kings congratulateth thoust for thy tremendous efforts but as thoust knowest, thereth can only be two Jokers.” He paused as murmurs arose from the small crowd in front of him before continuing, “By the decree of the new kings, their royal majesties Kings Vartan, Kreuz, Julius, and Rex, from this day forward the two Darkners known as Seam and Jevil shall serve as the Court Magician and Jester respectively for as long as they and/or the Kings see fit. Congratulations.” Jevil leaped into Seam’s arms, gleefully laughing and catching the latter by surprise, but who was he to judge. Seam grinned from ear to ear and spun the new jester in his arms around, both of them exhilarated for this new chapter in their lives._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were confused: Teuila's "gift" came from Jevil when his corruption first started, some of the magic that he used to access the code of the game got transferred to her but it wasn't enough for her to become aware of them all living in a game and thus go mad like him. I really like the headcanon that Rouxls tends to speaks fake "Olde Englisheth" in casual conversation because if he spoke normally he could accidentally state a new rule (which the Kaard family does once the Kings decide on rules and laws). I'll let you try and figure out which king is who ;D if you want to then I suggest looking at the card suits and name meanings
> 
> Aaaaaaand we got a flashback, expect more of them in the future! Anyways thank you all for the positive feedback from Chapter 1, I wasn't expecting it and it really made my day QwQ Hits, kudos and constructive criticism are all very much appreciated!


	3. Act I Scene III: Seam's Seap (cont.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ACK! I'm SO sorry this took so long! School's been extremely busy and I've had really bad writer's block

**Act I Scene III: Seam’s Seap (cont.)**

Seam cast his eyes to the glistening shards with a grimace gracing his features.

“So, you’ve finally come back after all these years...”

“Seam?” Jevil’s nerves started to become unbearable when no reaction came from his former companion. Feeling defeated, Jevil squeezed his eyes shut to prevent the tears forming in his eyes from escaping. Then he felt two arms envelop him. Seam sobbed, but out of happiness rather than sadness.

“I’ve missed you so much...”

Those words shocked Jevil, and he found himself reciprocating the embrace and cried too. Teuila glanced through the entrance with a small smile on her face, at least both of them were happy.

 

Sometime later, all three of them were gathered around the table. The Seap had been closed early for the occasion and Seam busied himself with newfound strength, setting up some teacups and various foods from the backroom. For the first time in a while, he was singing and laughing vigorously at any jokes Jevil made. He felt young again. Seam apologised for his, at least in his view, pathetic cooking, but Jevil thought that it was a feast fit for the kings themselves.

“So you’re not mad at me, me?” Jevil asked with a tilt of the head.

“No, no!” Seam answered with a new teapot in his hands, “If anything, YOU should be the one mad at me.”

“But Seam I- ”

“No buts Jevil!” He insisted, “We’ve the butts of jokes enough times as children and I certainly don’t think we need any more.”

Jevil huffed playfully before Teuila piped up, “So you knew each other as kids?”

The two of them glanced at each other and merely shrugged.

“Briefly, yes,” Seam replied.

“I DIDN’T GET HIS NAME UNTIL MUCH, MUCH LATER!” Jevil remarked shortly after. "IF, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY IT WENT LIKE THIS, THIS!"

 

_It was a calm day in the Scarlet Forest until the children appeared. The school holidays had started, and a fair was being held outside Card Castle. Everyone had flocked to watch, eat and play, even the royal families. The circus troupe had arrived too, performing many impressive acts alongside the two Jokers of the time, cracking jokes and pulling off acrobatics beyond Jevil’s comprehension that left him and the rest of the audience in awe. The young Darkner planned to talk to the performers after, but life had other plans. While his parents were distracted, Jevil scurried over to the backstage area before being intercepted by some other kids._

_“Aw look guys! Another Suitless freak!” crooned one of them, a Spade-suit to be more specific._

_“EXCUSE ME BUT I’D LIKE TO GET THROUGH!” the young Darkner chirped._

_“Sorry but last time I checked it said Suited ONLY!” sneered a Diamond-suit._

_“Nu-uh,” Jevil huffed, “I’m pretty sure it says no idiots because there is no sign!”_

_“Did you call us IDIOTS?!” The Spade proceeded to shove Jevil to the ground, only to be met with a shield of assorted bullets._

_“S-stay back!” He tried to keep a calm composure, “I can summon ANY suit!”_

_That drew a soft gasp from one of the bullies, “I heard that the Suitless are REALLY messed up because they don’t belong to a specific one,” they whispered rather loudly, “Their minds split apart because of it and they go crazy, and we all know where crazies belong…”_

_Before Jevil could react, he found himself immobilised by the others. He tried to break free, but his small size was a large factor against his favour. Jevil whimpered as all had seemed hopeless until a bright light appeared._

_“HEY!” the harshness of the flames made it hard to distinguish their master, “Leave him alone!”_

_“He’s got light powers!” One of the bullies whispered, “Let’s go!”_

_“It’s just fire!” grumbled another._

_“Fire is still LIGHT! Who knows what he can do!” the former exclaimed before leaving with the others in tow._

_The young Darkner peeked through his trembling hands. The hoodlums were leaving as the figure approached,_

_“Hey, are you alright?” The owner of the light show from earlier turned out to be a young cat monster around his age. At least, that’s what Jevil thought until he saw the rows of neat stitches and the two glass eyes staring into his own._

_“OH! I’M FINE,” Jevil said, bouncing back onto his feet for further emphasis, “Thank you for helping me!”_

_“Oh, it’s all good! If you’re good too then I’ve done my job!”  The newcomer replied with a smile, the inside of his mouth and ears seemed to glow. Jevil was mesmerised by this until he heard his parents calling out for him. “You should probably go to them, they’re worried sick.”_

_Jevil didn’t need to be told twice before running back, only to stop partway when he realised, “Hey, I never got your name!” But before he could finish that statement, he realised the stranger was already gone._

 

“AH HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED, CHANGED!” Jevil reminisced with a slight grin, “THE WORLD SEEMED TO ALWAYS PUSH US TOGETHER, HUH?”

Seam laughed, “Yes it has…”

“Tell me more!” Teuila’s ears twitched a bit as they desperately scanned for any new information.

“Now, now Teuila, what did I say about manners?” Seam tutted.

“OH SEAM, SEAM, SHE’S JUST CURIOUS,” Jevil giggled, “YOU SAY THAT LIKE ROUXLS CAME BY TO VISIT!”

Seam couldn’t help but laugh a bit, “I’ve had many visitors, but I don’t think the esteemed Duke of Puzzles ever came by.”

“OH!” A harmless club bullet burst from Jevil’s hands in realization, “DID YOU TELL HER THE DOLL ARMY STORY?”

“Oh yes, quite a few times actually,” Seam looked at his wide-eyed daughter as her tail flicked impatiently, “BUT, I suppose another retelling wouldn’t hurt…”

 

_Long ago, the Suits were divided amongst each other, fighting for power over Card Kingdom. The Lightners had left and with them, the old king. Many were corrupted by greed and power lust, the idea of Card Kingdom being theirs and theirs alone was far too tantalising. The Suitless weren’t spared from the violence, sometimes being forcefully recruited for their magic or as living shields, other times whole villages were purged and looted. One day, a young Suitless Darkner had enough. His village had been plundered once, many had been kidnapped. Standing before a despairing crowd he declared,_

_“We will not let the Suited take advantage of us again! We will fight back!”_

_The crowd longed for such things to happen, but they thought such a feat was impossible,_

_“How can we fight if we do not even have an army? Surely we will perish…”_

_The young Darkner thought for a moment before coming up with a solution. For the next few days, he locked himself in his parents’ old tailor shop, never once coming out. The villagers grew concerned, but when he finally reemerged there were many rows of life-sized dolls behind him._

_“What are we going to do with toys?” jeered one, “Play with them?”_

_Suddenly, a doll came forward with a flick of his hand. A harsh silence fell._

_“These dolls are made of cotton, not darkness. They do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they can be repaired, and they will only stop when I tell them to.” Slowly, the pieces started falling into place and the villagers started grinning and cheering. He had given them HOPE. When the Suited came by again, they were met by an army of dolls who’d stand victorious. Humiliated and suffering from great losses, the Suited army retreated and never once came back._

_These living dolls became the family’s secret, passed down from parent to child. Over time, they were kept secret enough that most people forgot them. The family was sometimes employed to create decoys, bodyguards or just companions, each having a different level of self-consciousness and autonomy. It is an art that has been passed down for many generations, and one day, you will be taught it as well._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm SO sorry how long this took and sorry if it feels a bit choppy, but seriously thank you so much for over 30 kudos and 290 hits! I didn't expect for FoaDK to go this far QwQ it really means a lot to me. Hits, kudos and feedback are all very much appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Righto so how this fic is gonna work is that each story arc is gonna be separated into an "Act" since Jevil and Seam were both performers of some kind, for instance Act I is mainly about Jevil leaving his little freedom and reuniting with Seam. I originally suggested this idea on tumblr (@redffeather if you wanna find me) and since there was an interest, I went ahead with it. Hits, kudos and feedback are all much appreciated! ^^


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